Guardians of This City
by Bladestar
Summary: Things are changing in Megakat City as events are set in motion destined to reveal ancient, forgotten secrets. Nothing is as it seems as friends become enemies and enemies become friends.
1. Prologue

**Guardians of this City  
By: Bladestar **

**Prologue**

Silence. That was all that was heard as the cruel desert wind kicked up sand devils across the vast wasteland. Its only comfort was the rushing river at the bottom of a 300 foot deep canyon, muddied by the sand constantly being blown into it.

The calm was suddenly cut by a scream full of freedom, fear, and distress. It came from a lone figure that had fallen to her knees in exhaustion and shock due to what had recently occurred. The only witnesses were four Arabian horses that danced in boredom around their own poles, which had been planted deep in the ground to prevent the animals from wandering off.

The wind picked up again, blowing sand across brown, tear stained fur. She simply sat there, breathing hard, trying to comprehend what had happened as her ears moved back and forth taking in every sound. She remained stiff and attentive, as though she were about to be set upon.

After a time she became more aware of her surroundings, and more aware of what had transpired. But what became very evident is what would happen to her if she returned to base where, however long ago it was, four kats had ridden out and only one would come back.

She would be tried and sentenced with no one to stand for her in the council. Put to death for defending herself from being controlled for the rest of her life. No one would have ever known until her three…keepers were in control of the largest criminal organization on the planet. No one would believe her.

Whether it was by some divine plan or plain luck, she had discovered their plans and refused to be used to create a worldwide anarchy. She had rebelled today, and would pay for it. Except, it would not be by their hand, but by her people's choice of a fit punishment.

She slowly stood up, legs shaking from her adrenaline dropping. Picking up her katana, she looked into the shined blade, blood very evident on the edge. What was eerie to her was that the blood was black. Blacker than anything she had ever seen. Tears mixed with the still wet blood as she speculated over what had put her through hell all these years. Nothing normal bled black, right?

She cried. Wept for every scar she had been given, every pain and joy she had been put through; damn it, she even cried for them. They had been cruel to her, beat her, and still she cried for them. She felt a sense of loss and regret; they had been the only thing close to parents she had ever known. Despite all they had done to her, they would always be that, much to her chagrin.

Tearing a piece of cloth from her clothing she wiped the blade clean and retrieved its sheath. After replacing the sword on her back she walked over to the spirited horses. More specifically to the silver appaloosa whose saddle bore her mark; a golden lightning bolt.

Ever since she had been a child she had been fascinated with the lightning storms that would rage across the desert sands. She would miss seeing them. She would miss her friends, too. Her heart ached and she frowned, hating the feeling.

She mounted the Arabian and cut the others loose, silently promising herself to never let anyone, good or otherwise, close to her or her heart again.

------------

I do not own anything through this whole story that is seen in the cartoon Swat Kats. Anything else is mine and can be used with my permission.

And thus begins a story that has honestly been years in the making. Ask my beta, I am sure she is sick of hearing of it as she is excited to finally see it on paper to read. Speaking of which, I would like to thank everyone, I have honestly lost count or forgotten who exactly, who has pushed me to write this. I would like all those who have read and edited this and upcoming chapters, a special thanks going to Atarah Derek who is my official beta and honestly a lifesaver for listening to my thoughts on the story. I hope you will enjoy this story and all that will be hidden within its, for lack of better term, pages. I also look forward to reading any reviews you may want to drop in, all are welcome, though I ask for no flames. Enjoy.

~Bladestar


	2. Chapter 1

**Guardians of This City**

**Chapter 2: Another Day in Paradise**

Usually when you live in a city you have the normal traffic jams, trying to get through the work day, others walking on their daily lives.

Megakat City isn't normal by your standards. Here the normal is hearing the city alarms signaling for its citizens to head to the nearest safe zone because some villainous maniac is trying to destroy the city or take it over. This is usually followed by monsters, insane car chases, and some sort of destruction. These situations are usually followed by the city's personal military trained to take care of any obstacle that is placed in their way. If they do not succeed, do not worry, the Swat Kats will.

At least that's what a certain masked tabby was thinking would make a great brochure for the city's tourist guide. The tabby was currently dressed in a black, red, and blue short sleeved flight suit.

His thoughts were soon torn away as a beeping and his partner's voice filled his ears.

"T-Bone, radars showing a heat seeker on our tail," came the voice belonging to his chocolate-furred partner dressed in a long sleeved version of the flight suit.

"Roger that Razor," replied the pilot, "Taking evasive maneuvers."

"Roger," followed his partner, "Flare missiles deployed!"

T-Bone pulled up away from the following explosion and growled.

"Whatever Dark Kat is after this time, he wants it bad."

"You got that right buddy," Razor replied, keeping a close watch on his radar for anything that might sneak up on them.

"Swat Kats! Get out of my air!"

The radio seemed to protest against the gruff voice that filled its waves.

T-Bone growled as he hit their transmit button to reply.

"We'll get out of your air as soon as Dark Crud is, Feral. It might actually help if you told us what he could be after."

"That is Enforcer business, Swat Kat!"

"Your loss then Commander, T-Bone out," replied the tabby quickly shutting the transmitter off so no one could hear him and Razor.

"Any ideas, hotshot?"

"I might…he isn't letting us even close for me to be sure though and it is a doozy," came Razor's voice.

"And knowing you it is crazy enough to work," replied T-Bone bringing the jet around.

"Here's what I need you to do," began the gunner, "Swing around again but when you do get as close as you can without hurting anyone on the ground and go in hot and fast as hell."

"Roger that buddy," he replied preparing to turn the jet and get out far enough to make this work, "What are you going to do."

"Been working on those Banshee Missiles…"

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"Got to test them at some point, but they should disrupt any defensive shield Dark Kat has around his ship. I'll follow those with a couple plain missiles, I'm done messing around and we need to ground him," said Razor as he placed his oxygen mask on.

"Alright Sureshot, get ready, heading in there in three, two," T-Bone didn't even bother to say one as he punched the throttle on the jet and dived towards the Doomsday Express.

He was so focused on quickly pulling away, the only indication he got of Razor doing his part was the scream slicing through the air closely followed by a very large explosion.

"Did it work," he asked pulling around and grinned as he saw smoke coming from air ship.

"Bingo," chuckled Razor.

"Alright," T-Bone shouted.

"Locking in for a second shot, hold her good and steady Hotshot."

"Roger."

The tabby positioned the jet with a look of triumph.

"Locked on," came Razor's voice, "And missiles--WHOA!"

T-Bone was already getting out of their position as smoke exploded from the Doomsday Express and missiles launched at them.

"Taking evasive maneuvers," the tabby reported to his partner.

"And I'll try to shake these off our tail," replied the chocolate kat referring to the missiles that had been fired.

The air shook as Razor dispatched the missiles that tracked them while T-Bone evaded the others that did not have tracking devices. After a tense minute or more, --T-Bone was not sure how long--he heard Razor give the clear and he returned to the scene.

The Doomsday Express was nowhere to be found.

"Aww crud, Feral's going to peg this on us like no tomorrow," T-Bone groaned before cringing as aforementioned voice came yelling over the radio at them.

"And that's our cue to beat it," said Razor looking out the window.

"That affirmative," confirmed the tabby turning the jet pushing the throttle back to the Salvage yard.

***********

Later that Day….

Chance stood leaning against the door of his locker, head resting on his forearm, in anger. Jake had already headed upstairs to watch the news and see if they had missed any calls.

Dark Kat gone again…again!

How many times did that megalomaniac have to slip through their paws…so close to being captured yet too damn far!

They never even found out just what exactly it was that he had been after, Feral was only willing to say he seemed to want into a vault.

Thanks Feral, like there's just one in a place like that, try around ten to fifteen.

At least he and Jake had been able to get Dark Crud to pull back before he got what he was after, but that also meant the villain would be back and would not be pulling any punches.

Not like he ever did anyway.

Kats, he wasn't going to be getting any amount of sleep any time soon.

"Hey Chance, you all right," came Jake's voice from his left. The chocolate colored kat was leaning on his shoulder against his own locker with a tilted head. Chance returned his gaze to the grey metal supporting his weight.

"Yea, just pissed that he got away, again. Jake, are we really making a difference. We get there to stop the criminals, but they always get away or get back out. What good are we doing if they just come back worse than before?"

He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked back at his best friend—no his brother—to see him holding an opened can of milk for him.

With a sigh he took it and now leaned his back against the locker.

"We keep going, Chance," replied the smaller tom, "we keep hoping that one day someone will come up with a way to keep them contained. That with each time we fight back we are keeping them from succeeding in their conquests, we continue to protect."

Chance sighed and leaned his head back. He knew this, but to hear it from someone always made it more real.

Though being a Swat Kat gave him the happiness of doing what he loved, it left very little time to do much else such as seeing his father, going out for a few drinks and to just let go, to find a girl….

Heck they had been at this for years and they had never come up with a way to respond to a call quickly enough if they did go out.

Maybe they really needed to, even with a quick look into Jake's eyes he could see that he needed something to take off the edge.

Why hadn't they paid more attention to it before, the cities heroes weren't much of ones without some respite every now and then.

"We need to get out more," Chance said with a chuckle. Jake joined the tom with a small laugh of his own.

"You know that is not a bad idea, but I hate to say we aren't going anywhere tonight, or tomorrow for that matter," sighed Jake, "We have got to get those cars upstairs done, but given we don't get any more disturbances I bet we can swing that. I could use it."

Chance chuckled, the thought that they were going to take a night off gave him something to look forward to.

"Roger that, bud. I'll change and be up there in a couple," he said placing the can of milk on top of his locker before opening it.

Jake smiled and nodded, "I'll get to work then."

With that the two heroes turned into the grease monkey's the city had come to know and love.


	3. Chapter 2

**Guardians of This City**

**Chapter 3: Silver Roses**

Meanwhile…..

Far outside the city limits of MegaKat City stood a lavish mansion, separated from any sort of society.

Those who were ever around the place said it was abandoned as the lights were almost never on, others that noticed the limousine come and go said it was home to a secluded, eccentric millionaire.

Surprisingly, the latter guess was the closest except it belonged to someone who was worth more than a millionaire and the public would never begin to guess whom if they even dared.

Said eccentric kat was currently sitting in his dark study with a firing roaring to battle the cold that the rain outside brought. A glass of red wine sat in the large purple paw with gold eyes hovering over it, the dancing fire only beginning to describe his foul mood.

Another plot foiled, another day to wait until the device was in his hands, another plot to plan to get into that vault for a device that probably wasn't even worth its weight in gold.

A device that would make his Doomsday Express the most formidable air machine seen in the MegaKat City air space.

And those cursed Swat Kats had to come in and fuck it all up again.

Going in quiet was simply out of the question as his ninjas were only so skilled in breaking into vault.

He could hire some help but those who could do the job didn't consider themselves crazy enough to want his money. Those who had worked with him he considered available to do whatever he wanted for a price of his choosing and if they refused, well, they ended up dead. If the job ended up even half finished they were no good to keep alive.

That view was what got him stuck where he was, a ton of cash, help that was at the top of its class yet not as good as the best, and too many who were the best that wouldn't come within a fifty foot radius of him.

It was down right infuriating in moments like this.

His thoughts were disturbed by a knock on the door.

"WHAT!"

He had asked for no disturbances this night unless it was of utmost importance.

He stood up from his chair as one of his ninjas came in, but what was in his hands made Dark Kat pause.

A red rose, still before its bloom. He noticed immediately that unlike most delivered roses, this one still bore its nasty thorns. The next thing that caught his attention was a glint of silver in the firelight; the edges of the rose had been dipped in pure silver.

He set his wine on the nearby end table and took the rose from the ninja. He had heard of them, but like their owner, the calling cards were near legend.

"Where did you get this," he demanded.

"She is in the main foyer, my lord," the ninja replied nervously.

Dark Kat raised an eyebrow, now this was interesting. In the middle of his plight the she-kat that had at one time a few years earlier send the world banks into a panic, was at his door.

Especially after disappearing when a bounty on her head, from the Guilds that raised her no less, was issued to the criminal underground and mercenaries.

Perhaps his masters were finally deciding to smile down upon him once again.

"Invite her in, then you are dismissed," said Dark Kat turning back to his wine glass for a sip, then walking back towards the fire as he examined the rose, careful to not touch the thorns.

If his trained senses hadn't detected the presence of someone new in the room, he would have never known she was there.

"Welcome to my humble home. Might I interest you in a glass of wine my dear," he said turning to look at the black clad she-kat that was now leaning against his desk.

"Kind of you, Dark Kat, but I must decline," came the reply.

The tom took the moment to take a look at his guest.

He guessed she stood about five foot five inches and her attire was not unlike his ninjas but it was unorthodox.

The mask was that of a ninja but the bottom wrapped around her neck like a scarf over a skintight black shirt that tucked into combat, rip-resistant pants, and she had a handgun of some sort strapped to her left hip. She wore a belt with pouches hooked to it and fingerless gloves that came to her elbows.

It was easy to see she was well-built and born to do what she did.

Another silver glint caught his eye and he realized the gloves held small throwing knives under her forearm.

Then he looked down and saw the black combat boots that laced up to he knee and the soles that were lined with a thin, flexible metal.

"Like what you see," she asked in a manner that showed her distaste but was not disrespectful.

"Just taking in the one who has gained the attentions of the Guilds to want dead," Dark Kat replied, "But I am satisfied. Now, what has brought you to my humble home, my dear?"

"Word has it that you are having problems to get what you need in a timely manner," she replied coolly, "I have also been informed that no one in the Guilds dares to come near your money. After what I saw today, I say you need the extra hand…for the right price and contract of course."

"Who are you to say I need the help, little one," Dark Kat growled. If she had noticed his frustrations by today's events alone there was no telling who else had noticed.

A dark chuckle escaped her lips—a sign she wasn't the slightest bit intimidated. Dark Kat immediately felt infuriated by the fact.

"If you didn't I wouldn't be here and your 'ninjas' would have handled it without today's show; no one knowing until it was too late for them to do anything but wait for you," she replied with the same quiet confidence.

The villain couldn't help but feel his last thread of patience for the day slowly grow short.

"And you have the gull to think I need you to complete my task," he followed taking a sip of his wine.

The she-kat chuckled, "Me, perhaps not, but we both know that I am the best that money can hire and anything else simply comes up short. And I am offering my services instead of you having to try and find me, which so many still come up short in doing…including the ones who trained me."

The Guilds, he knew that was to whom she was referring, and it was true. He knew the price on her head was high enough to make her one of their top priorities to capture.

"And what keeps me from simply handing you over to the Guild," he countered.

"I have kept away from them for five years, Dark Kat," she chuckled, "What makes you think that you, in the short time you have seen me, can accomplish your 'threat'?"

She had a point, but after some time of using her services he could accomplish it.

"Besides," she continued moving to look out the window and at the falling rain, "It wouldn't get you anywhere considering the American Guild, the Guild in whose region of control that you reside, has offered me asylum."

Dark Kats ears flew forward at the news, perhaps he could benefit from this after all.

"Yet you are choosing to defy them by working for someone whom they have blacklisted," he challenged.

He could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Perhaps I simply do not care."

It was his turn to smirk at this foolish she-kat; one he was beginning to like and yet dislike immensely. He could tell she was not one to be controlled.

However, he did need some help with this and he didn't have to look for help if he accepted her offer. It was in short a win-win situation.

"In that case, I can use you."

She chuckled as she turned to face him.

"I am pleased you see it my way, but before we go any further I do have guidelines."

He kept his face neutral, but tensed at the idea of her having him in a tight spot.

"Which are?"

"You may hire me for whatever you need done, but I choose to accept or decline the mission with no explanation needed on my end. You may give me a price you are willing to pay for my services, but in the end I decide if it is fair enough. If you want you can present the job first and I will tell you what I think is fair.

"Also, if something goes wrong, you will take it and not even try to blame me for not following through. It is rare when this happens, but I will rectify any issues as I see fit.

"In other words, you are a willing client and it is healthy if I keep my clients happy but I do live a life that does not make me your eternal servant. If you even consider breaking my terms I will put you in a place so far down in the underworld it will take you years to even get back a fourth of what you will loose."

Dark Kat frowned, "And just what do I benefit from these 'terms'?"

He saw her smile despite the shadows and mask, "Satisfying results to accomplish your ambitions."

********

So, two chapter updates at once, feeling pretty good about this. Thanks to Uly for the review, good to know I captured your interest Uly. A special thanks to Atarah Derek as my Beta, couldn't do it without her.


	4. Chapter 3

Hey, and we have another chapter up. A special thanks out to Jace for giving me a big hand in edits...it was in sore need of them and between my other beta getting ready for school and my deployment...well he made a huge difference in getting this out to you the readers.

As stated in previous chapters, if its in the show SWAT Kats, I do not own the characters. Any characters that show up that are not a part of the show are mine, please ask permission to use. I figure after four chapters the message is out so please do not sue.

Remember to read and review to let me know what you think!

* * *

The music screamed through the garage as Jake and Chance worked on the vehicle currently on the lift. It was their last job of the day, but it had quickly turned into their most stubborn. They would fix one problem only to unearth another and the two mechanics were quickly reaching their limit and contemplating calling it quits for the day.

"Why doesn't anyone get that while duct tape fixes a lot of things, it can not fix _everything_?" Chance lamented from below the vehicle, currently struggling to replace a damaged hose that the fix-it-all tape had been wrapped around. While it may have fixed the problem at the time the end result was a hopelessly blocked hose.

"Kats will listen to everyone but the professionals, buddy," said Jake as he wrestled with a separate hose that had seemingly glued itself to the engine. "And everyone says duct tape fixes everything. Mother of—how did this hose melt to the engine!"

Chance snorted and stood up, wiping his hands.

"I'm going to get something to drink. Want anything?"

"Can of milk would hit the spot," grunted Jake as he turned to look through their tool box for something to cut the hose off and scrape what was left off.

"Roger that," said Chance walking into their office and then through another door that led into their home. Specifically the kitchen.

The sound of the news from their TV filled his ears.

"—went missing from Pumadyne. Enforcers have yet to make an official statement about the theft but our sources tell us that it may have been the same item sought by Dark Kat during his attack on Pumadyne just two days ago."

Chance froze with his head half in the refrigerator before slowly standing up and giving his undivided attention to Ann Gora's news report.

"It is also believed that this was an inside job, as Pumadyne security was not alerted to the theft until employees discovered the prototype magnetic shield was gone a full two hours after their work day had begun."

"JAKE!"

* * *

Across town in Enforcer Headquarters, a burly brown kat forcefully hit the remote power button to shut off the news cast he had been listening to, cutting off Ann Gora as she led in to her next report. The kat leaned forward on his cluttered desk, kneading his brow in a vain attempt to resist the headache that was coming. How that insipid reporter had learned as much as she had about the recent theft he didn't know, but his day had just gotten much worse. Had he a normal job, he would be relishing the fact that at least it was Friday. There were no weekends, however, for Commander Feral, leader of the Enforcers and protector of Megakat City.

Sighing, Feral picked up the latest report on the theft, letting out a frustrated growl as he scanned it.

No signs of forced entry or anything unusual caught on any of the security cameras; save the prototype, nothing else had been touched. Worse yet, even the blueprints for the one of a kind shield had turned up missing now!

If the thief had not left a single red rose in its place, they would have had little choice but to assume the prototype had simply vanished into thin air!

A rose…the only clue his sweeper team had turned up at the scene. He had his entire staff searching the records for any similar thefts in the past, though Feral could think of none during his long career in the Enforcers.

Their only real suspect was Dark Kat based solely on his Wednesday attack on Pumadyne.

Feral dropped the report in disgust, switching his attention to a set of papers describing the device that had been stolen.

The prototype magnetic shield had been in the final phase of testing, created by one Dr. Blitz Ibn Ameer. It was supposedly able to sense oncoming fire and create a brief, localized and incredibly powerful magnetic field that could deflect both conventional missiles as well as direct energy fire such as lasers.

After it passed its final tests it was to be installed in a few Enforcer vehicles to confirm it operation in real combat situations before being retrofitted on all Enforcer transportation.

Only one prototype had been created and after learning of its theft, Dr. Ameer has checked for the blueprints only to discover they had disappeared as well.

Feral growled having to resist the urge to shred the papers he held.

This prototype had held the promise of the Enforcers finally getting the upper hand in the never ending battle against the criminal element that plagued the city. Now, what had been meant to protect him and his Enforcers would be protecting their adversaries instead!

"Commander, the Deputy Mayor is on line 1 for you," came his secretary's voice over the intercom.

"And here I was thinking this day couldn't get any worse," muttered Feral as he vainly attempted to again knead away the headache he knew was coming.

He had been ignoring the Deputy Mayor's calls since the day prior and he knew if he continued to avoid her she would inevitably come storming into his office.

While she and the Mayor had been off handling the political side of the recent Dark Kat debacle, he had been meeting with the rest of the city council that same night.

Ostensibly, he had met with the council to brief them on Dark Kats attack on Pumadyne, but his true purpose had been to propose a new safety measure. A safety measure that was more likely to be accepted if Manx and his Deputy Mayor were not there to protest.

He had been informed earlier today that the city council had discussed and passed his measure yesterday afternoon, despite the pair's belated protests. He was now charged with finding both Manx and the Deputy Mayor a bodyguard capable of handling the city's criminals face-to-face if the need arose.

He knew that Manx would be upset with the costs associated with such a measure, but Feral didn't think the Mayor would put up much of a fight over it as it concerned his own safety.

The Deputy Mayor however…Feral had been dreading that particular confrontation from the moment he made the proposal.

"Sir?" came his secretary's voice again, still waiting for his response. With a resigned sigh Feral replied, "Put her through."

Gritting his teeth, Feral forced himself to pick up the phone, "Miss Briggs, what can I do for you?"

* * *

Callie did not try to hide her exasperated sigh as she heard the Enforcer commander answer.

"It's about time you took my call! Feral, I have been trying to talk to you since yesterday!"

She looked down at the pile of papers on her desk; more specifically, the one she had received from the city council that morning.

"I am well aware of that Miss Briggs, but I have been to busy to take your calls due to Dark Kat's attack on Pumadyne."

She ground her teeth and turned her chair to look out the window that made up her wall. Her words were poisonous as she looked at the sheet of paper in her hands.

"You found the time to talk to the council about bodyguards for the Mayor and myself though didn't you? Manx I can understand, but to include myself as well and not consult me is underhanded politics Feral!"

"Deputy-Mayor, I have been considering this safety measure since the Alliance of Evil incident and knew you would disagree."

The hand that held the new memorandum turned into a fist crumpling some of the paper.

"That's because I can handle myself, Feral."

"Which is why I didn't tell you about this in the first place. Leaning on those vigilante's and expecting them to show up every time you are in trouble is not taking care of yourself. One day, the criminals of this city will wise up and simply…dispose of you on the spot before your so called heroes can appear. I cannot sit by and wait for that to happen. Now, did you call me to nurse your wounded pride—"

Callie turned in her seat and slammed the paper on the desk.

"Why you—"

"—Or are you going to accept that what's done is done and attend to the more important issue at hand?"

Callie growled as she took a deep breath to compose herself and abandoned the bodyguard memo for her coffee. He was right; she'd be damned before she admitted it though.

"What do we know about the theft?"

"You're on a secured phone, correct?"

She growled. Was he trying to see how far he could push her? She took another deep intake of air.

"Commander, I may be angry at you, but I am not a fool. None of this can get out before the Mayor can make an official statement."

Feral snorted and she rolled her eyes when she heard it

"Just following procedure, Deputy-Mayor. Whoever stole the device knew what they were doing. They left no trace of ever being in the building. Security didn't see anything, no alarms were tripped and nothing was caught on the security cameras

"The vault records itself keeps a log of when it is opened and closed and both a passkey and code are required to get in."

Callie sighed as she reached into one of her drawers and withdrew a bottle of painkillers for the headache that was beginning to form as he continued.

"The last two recordings were when they secured the vault before everyone went home the previous evening and this morning to retrieve the prototype at 10:00 a.m. This is when the shield was discovered missing."

Yea, she thought, this one was going to be a doozy.

"So we have nothing."

"Nearly." She could hear the fatigue in Feral's voice with that word.

"In place of the shield our thief left a calling card of sorts, a red rose. Our investigators are looking into it in the hopes of turning up a lead on similar crimes in the past. I will receive a report tomorrow if they find anything as well as if the shield happens to turn up on the black market."

Callie picked up a pen and jotted down some notes before chewing on the end of the writing utensil.

"What about the rumors that it was an inside job?" She heard him grunt at the question, whether in annoyance of her or the theft she wasn't sure.

"It's always a possibility. Our investigators are doing the routine interviews to see if anything suspicious turns up and if something does we'll press them further. We already grilled the tom who invented the thing and he came off clean."

She wrote down a few more notes.

"What should we tell the press?"

There was a pause on his end. Feral's forte rested in his leadership abilities, not in handling the press. The fact that he was unable to find a useful public affairs officer didn't help matters.

"The best thing to do would be to say it is currently under investigation and due to the sensitivity of the information no facts can be given out. Until we have a list of suspects and a general idea of how they accomplished this I don't want to give our thief the satisfaction of knowing that they did as good a job as they did."

Callie nodded. That made sense in more ways than one in a city with their share of…nonconventional criminals.

"I understand. We don't want to give whoever is behind this theft free advertising."

"Correct. Is there anything else you need to know?"

Callie chewed the end of her pen again as she reviewed her notes and tried to predict anything the press or Mayor might ask.

"What about our underground contacts?"

"We are currently in the process of greasing the appropriate palms to ensure we are made aware of any developments among the criminal organizations, but that can only go so far in a high profile theft such as this."

Callie nodded to herself and spun her chair to look out over Megakat City. A small, sly smile graced her features as her mind drifted to their original conversation.

"Right. So tell me Feral, do I get a say in who is to be my bodyguard?"

She heard him growl and smirked.

"No, Deputy-Mayor, the council has wisely left the decision to me and my staff."

Her smirk wavered as she closed her eyes.

"Fine."

She hung up the phone without another word and opened her eyes to look back over the city and felt the warmth of the sun embrace her.

The silence was broken as her secretary came over the intercom.

"Deputy-Mayor, Mr. Allen Mewser is here for his appointment."

Callie sighed and turned away from her view of the city; Feral wasn't the only kat whose work week never ended.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! Another chapter for your entertainment. Sorry it took so long to get this out. When I started writing this chapter I wanted to continue setting a stage for future chapters; a small piece, if you will, to help begin piecing together this rather large tapestry. However, as my wonderful editor Jace pointed out, I added in too much information adding confusion and really, giving out more information than I want you to have…right away that is. I am much happier with the result but it is also the reason this is up much later than I had hoped. **

**Also for those who participated in the little poll I had for this chapter…it was a bit of a three-way tie and gave me a pretty good challenge! I hope it I met your expectations. **

**I have also decided to have cameos here and there for writer's and Swat Kat role players for fun and to maybe help advertise some of the great stories that are out there. Our first cameo belongs to a fellow role player HMMurdock; Murdoch Lakota belongs to him not me.**

**And now that I think I got all the major stuff out of the way that you probably skipped over already, on with the story.**

* * *

"I can't quite believe we're doing this when we should be trying to figure out who robbed Pumadyne," said Jake as he and Chance waited to gain entrance to a Irish bar cross club called the Dublin's Crossing. Before summer had hit, and more often before they had been banished to the garage, it had been a place they frequented.

Chance chuckled, "Hey, you said there's been no new information released since the theft. Need I also remind you that you agreed with me when I said we need to get out more. What better way to listen for information not released to the media and relax at the same time."

Jake sighed, "You're right; I just hope we don't get dragged into a fight like last time. That's why we avoided coming here Saturday nights, remember?"

Chance chuckled, "I know, I know. But, you know as well as I do that there's no better way to learn what's going on in the street than hanging out with the street members. You also know that anyone who fights and has something to prove, be it gang members or Enforcers, comes here as its one of the few legal fight clubs in Megakat. Add the drinking to loosen tongues, and you know we're bound to hear something interesting."

Jake shook his head, "Considering those were the reasons I gave you as to why I would come, they don't count."

Chance laughed, "Yea, well, if anything I think we owe Maurice a visit."

He gave a nod to the bouncer as they flashed their IDs and entered the club.

Dublin's Crossing was the oldest bar in Megakat City and in turn a tourist attaction. With the exception expanding its size and a few changes made to turn it into a club atmosphere, all was as it had been when it originally opened near 400 years ago.

The design was simple. As a patron entered, they saw the long bar to their right that extended all the way down the wall with tables and booths for guests to sit. There was a balcony above to accommodate more guests that wound along the wall and around a corner where the long room opened up to a large dance floor.

The entire floor was wooden keeping in tradition with how the building was when first built and was kept open for dancers with a stage for the band hanging from the ceiling.

Tonight, however, there was an arena set up on the expansive dance floor and dancing was far from the minds of those present.

Chance took a deep breath as he let the atmosphere bring back memories from a time before he joined the Enforcers and worked here as both bartender and referee for the fights held here.

The two toms walked up and found two empty seats at the wooden bar, the original from when the pub first opened nearly 300 years ago, a small piece of Megakat's long history.

"Why Jake, Chance, I don't believe it. Where have ye lads been all this time," asked a black and white furred, red-headed she-kat from behind the bar.

The boys smiled at her and the accent that ran in her family.

"You know how it goes, Sephira, once summer hits the cars start coming in, and it takes some time to get caught up," said Chance.

The she-kat laughed as she poured them each a shot of whiskey. "Aye, I guess ye can say we get the same sort of thing here. Da' will want to know you're here. These be on the house boys, don' go getting into any trouble now."

With that she was gone with a tray of drinks balanced on one hand.

Jake and Chance chuckled as they threw back their shots and turned to watch the patrons.

It wasn't long before they spotted one familiar she-kat sitting at a table with a few others and a beer in her hand.

Felina Feral laughed at a joke a friend of hers just made before taking a drink. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted two familiar figure and grinned when she recognized the two mechanics give a friendly wave.

Excusing herself from the table she walked over to the ex-Enforcers. She chastised herself at the thought. No, whether or not they were on the force, they would always be Enforcers in her book.

"Hey guys, didn't know you still had a life outside the garage," she joked taking the seat next to Jake.

"Yea, you know how it gets," said Chance.

"Figured we deserved a night out, even if it is fight night," chuckled Jake before ordering a round of beer for them.

Felina laughed, "Yea, you guys caused quite the ruckus the last time you came on a Saturday."

"Hey that wasn't our fault," defended Chance.

Felina smirked.

"Yea, I know that, but I have got to give you both hell for it all the same."

"Why lass, are you harassing these two fine lads," came a deep, accented voice with evident humor.

The three turned to look back behind the bar and smiled at the sight of Maurice. The black and white tom stood at 6 foot 3 inches and though he could be considered on the heavy side due to age, his muscles were still well defined.

If not for his friendly demeanor, he could be considered one of the scariest looking toms Jake and Chance had ever met.

Probably a good thing for an owner of the Crossing.

"Of course not Maurice," smiled Felina, "Just reliving a few choice memories."

"Aye, I'll pretend to believe ya lass," laughed the tom as he leaned against his side of the bar with a beer in hand.

"Now what brings all ye to my fine establishment this evening?"

"Taking the night off from the garage," said Jake.

"Must be desperate for a bread for ye to be coming on a fight night, lad," Maurice replied with a knowing smile.

"Why does everyone insist on bringing that up," asked Chance acting indignant as he slammed his beer on the bar, "We didn't start it!"

"Aye lad, but ye both ended it quite well," Maurice replied earning a groan from both of the toms.

Felina laughed as she took a drink.

"Technically I'm here working," she said.

"What job pays you to drink," asked Chance who then smiled, "And how can I get in on it."

"Its short term," Felina replied. She was rather disappointed by the thought in all honesty. "My uncle pulled a fast one on the Mayor and Deputy-Mayor and got the city council to approve a body guard for each. However, he does not want to advertise it to the general public. He doesn't want to accidently hire someone working for our enemies."

"Makes sense. What brought the whole bodyguard thing on," asked Chance.

"Apparently its something he's been working on for a while but until recently didn't have a chance to have the new measure approved by the council."

"And he has you out here, I'm guessing, to look for possible candidates without causing a stir," said Jake taking a drink.

Felina nodded, "Yea, me and five others are spreading ourselves out for the next few days to look for possible candidates."

"What are ye looking for lass? Perhaps I can point ye in the right direction."

"We need someone who knows the streets," she sighed, "But it narrows down real fast as we want someone who has bodyguard experience and can fight well enough to stand against all our criminals if it comes down to it."

"Does gender matter?"

She shook her head, "Not really. I think my uncle would prefer a male for the mayor and a female for Ms. Briggs though. Any suggestions?"

Maurice paused as he took a drink and the small group fell into a companionable silence.

"There will be a few here tonight that I think may t'row their fists that may interest ye," he finally said.

"Where can I find them?"

Maurice chuckled.

"How about I do this? The Eagle's Nest seating, set over the arena, how about I place ye in t'ere for the evening? That way ye can see the fights and if ye want to speak with a fighter, I can have them escorted up."

Felina smiled and quickly leaned forward to give the old tom a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Maurice, you're the best. Could Chance and Jake join me for some company?"

The tom chuckled as he stood up straight.

"I see no reason why not lass."

"Radical," said Jake taking a drink.

"Thanks Maurice," Felina grinned.

"I try lass, I certainly do try. I regret however, that I must leave ye three for now. I need to help get the challenges lined up."

"Its not tournament fighting tonight," asked Jake.

"Not tonight, the tournaments have been slow the past few weeks so we decided to have a challenge night and see if it brought in more business. Ye all stay out of trouble now until I come back," said the tom before standing up and moving to the other end of the bar.

"Well seems like you may find what you're looking for Felina," said Jake.

Felina laughed, "Yea, luck seems to be on my side tonight. The fact that it's Challenge Night adds to it."

Chance nodded in agreement.

There were two types of fighting events Maurice could host on Saturday. There were tournament nights where fighters would sign in before the fights began and then kats would go head to head with each other to see who would come out the best.

Kats would bet on their favorite contestant and the winner walked away with the registration money.

Challenge nights were less predictable, which was why Maurice and his oldest son, Dimitri, only did them once every month or two.

Kats came purely to fight and sometimes to settle a score and were based on challenges issued before or during the night. The only rules were you could not purposely kill your opponent and you had to stay in the fighting ring, anyone that threw a punch outside the rind during a fight was disqualified and kicked out of the establishment.

It was one of the reasons the Enforcers allowed the fights to take place here. It took care of a lot of their problems with gang wars; it didn't always prevent them but in some cases it kept one more misguided kid from going home in a body bag.

The ring also came in handy during bar fights. If one broke out, the bouncers threw them into the ring to let them fight it out without risking the safety of other patrons.

Betting often took place just before a fight and the contenders would have to throw in something for the winner to take.

A young accented voice came over the speakers. Chance recognized Dimitri's voice immediately as it began to beckon patrons and curious kats further back into the club where the arena was.

Chance chuckled as the voice reminded him of when he had worked here. Demitri's voice was the kind that when you first heard it you had to take a few steps back because of the insanity that laced it.

There was always a gleam in his eye that screamed mischief and mayhem. His eyes were always looking at his surrounding, and he never could sit still longer than 10 minutes before needing to do something. He always had to be moving, he never stopped thinking.

After working here for three years Chance had come to one conclusion about him.

Didn't matter if Sephira, his twin sister, was drop-dead gorgeous and his father owned the establishment, Demitiri was plain crazy if not clinically insane.

He turned his attention to the conversation going between Jake and Felina while they waited for the escort to the Nest.

"Hey Felina, Chance and I were watching the news and heard about the Pumadyne theft. They ever figure out who did it?"

Chance smirked; leave it to Jake to think of asking her about what happened.

Felina shook her head with a snort.

"Once Enforcers, always Enforcers," she said taking a drink. "Ugh, how do I even begin to explain?"

"It can't be that bad," said Chance skeptically.

"Well, it's certainly not good! In fact, from my understanding, the whole thing is baffling," said Felina keeping her voice low.

"I'm sure you guys already heard from the news it was a magnetic shield that was stolen. What hasn't been released is that it's like the device simply disappeared into thin air."

"How so," asked Jake.

"The guards didn't see anything, the cameras caught nothing, and the vault's system had no record that it had even been opened at the time of the theft! Whoever got away with it not only knew all too well what they were doing, but flaunted it."

"I stand corrected, that's bad," Chance followed.

"The only thing we have is a calling card, a red rose, left in place of the shield. Everyone at Pumadyne checked out so it wasn't an inside job," she hesitated before continuing. "Even our underground contacts haven't picked up anything. We have a substantial reward for whoever can find us the most useful information. We haven't gotten so much as a peep.

Felina paused before taking a deep breath. "We're starting to worry Dark Kat already has it."

Chance and Jake looked at each other. They had discussed the possibility of Dark Kat being the culprit or the one most interested in the shield but hearing that the Enforcers had come to a similar conclusion made it all the more unsettling.

"Well, lets hope that's not the case," said Chance.

"Miss Feral," the voice of a male interrupted. The three turned to see one of the bouncers approach them. "Maurice has instructed me to escort you and your friends to the Eagle's Nest."

Felina nodded as she and the boys stood up.

"Lead the way."

The tom nodded then proceeded to lead three to the back. His size made it easy to make room to take them up to the balcony that snaked along the wall. He led them to a small walkway that jetted out from the main overlook and a secluded area with a few tables. This area was closed off to the general public and was given to those willing to pay to have a prime view of the dance floor or fight ring.

Maurice was waiting for them at one of the tables and waved them over as the bouncer let them in through a gate.

Ignoring a few other patrons that Chance recognized as local mob bosses, they sat down with the large tom to wait for the fights to get underway.

"Thank for this Maurice," said Felina setting her beer on the table.

The older tom smirked, "Yes well, the only other good seats would require putting you all in the middle of the fray."

His gaze turned toward Jake and Chance, "And I don't quite trust to take these two down there after last time."

Chance shook his head, "Those Enforcers had been asking for it all night. When the one tried to take a pot shot at us what else were we to do?"

Felina chuckled, "Good thing you had a few others on your side, otherwise it might not have ended well for you two!"

"To date, that is still the biggest bar fight this club has ever seen," said Maurice, eliciting nervous laughter from the two toms.

Laughter over the speakers interrupted them as a black, white-spotted kat with fiery red hair top jumped into the middle of the arena with a microphone in his hand.

"GOOOOD EVENING MEGAKAT CITY!"

The tom's enthusiasm literally lit up the room as the audience replied with a roar that shook their beer bottles.

Demitri. He was in a good mood it seemed. Granted, Chance realized, he had never seen the tom anything less than a good mood.

Dimitri didn't wait for the roar to die down as he laughed into the microphone and yelled, "Well I'm glad you're all ready to go! We got some great fights already lined up for you tonight. For those of you new to Dublin's Crossing, I am your host Dimitri."

Chance watched as a black, white, and gray furred husky jumped onto one of the corner posts of the arena as Dimitri continued, "And on the post to my right, my fellow referee, all the way from the canine country of Caedamen, I give you Murdoch!"

As the canine raised a fist in greeting he received hollers and appreciative whistles from the crowd before flipping into the ring next to Dimitri.

"First round tonight is a treat for all ya betting out t'ere tonight!"

Dimitri's voice faded as Felina made a valid point Chance had not noticed beforehand.

"Damn Maurice, you have a lot of mob and gang members here tonight," she said.

He looked down and did a quick count.

"She's right," Chance said, "Crud, I don't think I've seen so many of them here at one time before."

Maurice nodded as he watched the first fight below begin with the sound of a bell.

"Why are they all here?" Jake asked the question, his mind most likely running through all the possibilities as he asked the question. It was rare when rival gangs tolerated each other in the same setting, much less in such a crowded area, something Chance and Jake had learned all too well as Enforcers and Swat Kats.

Maurice sighed, "Rumor's be all I have heard. From a chance to renew truces and negotiate territ'ry, to seeing who has the best fighters among t'eir ranks."

Chance nodded, it had happened a few times when he had worked here, though he had never seen such a large scale of appearances.

"Well if those two down there are any example of what's to come, they have lowered their standards," said Felina turning her attention to below to two toms who were flailing about more than giving a decent fight.

"They're both pretty sloppy," agreed Jake.

Their conversations for the next half hour turned towards the fighters below and critiquing what they saw.

It was two hours later that Sephira came to the table and with a smile to the others before she bent down and whispered something to her father.

Chance did not fail to notice Maurice's ears fly forward and his eyes narrow before he stood up.

"If ye will excuse me, t'ere is a matter that needs my attention," he said before walking onto the catwalk that led from the sitting area to the main balcony.

Sephira smiled at them apologetically. "Sorry to pull him away from you guys, can I get you refills or anything?"

"I could stand another bottle, Seph," said Chance with a knowing smile. Only twice had he seen Maurice become so…annoyed so quickly. He never learned what happened those two times, just that it had left the twins uneasy enough for any employee there at the time to know it wasn't something to be involved in.

Felina and Jake echoed his request, neither giving off a hint if they had noticed Maurice's change in demeanor like he had, and Sephira wearing the same smile nodded and went to retrieve the beers.

"Looks like the fights are getting slightly better," said Felina nodding back towards the ring.

"Yea," Chance replied, "I am sure their handlers in the gangs are relieved."

He had been in the gangs at one time, before his job here, and he knew better than a lot of others what could happen to a few after tonight.

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind.

It wasn't long before Sephira returned with the newly opened bottles of beer.

Maurice however didn't return until 45 minutes later, and Chance couldn't tell if his mood was any better or worse.

"Everything alright, Maurice," asked Jake. So he had noticed the mood shift.

"Yes, lad; just a disagreement that turned into a challenge for tonight that I had to bless off on," replied the tom.

"Why would it require your blessing?" Felina asked.

"One was drunk, enough they could barely stand. It could'na been avoided lass, but I would rather they fight it out here then go outside where one of them could be killed," he replied watching the fight below. It was obvious that he really wasn't thinking about it.

"But drunk enough to be unable to stand?"

Maurice didn't reply right away, but when he did the tone in his voice told them he wouldn't hear anymore of it.

"I couldn'a persuaded either party to back down."

Chance raised an eyebrow. Something more had happened and he could tell it had left his former boss unsettled.

A buzzer pulled him away from his thoughts as he looked back down to the arena to see who had won.

A lanky gray tom stood proudly as Demitri held his fist high declaring him the winner before pointed in the direction of a table to gather his winnings. The loser, a red tabby, had been knocked out was currently being dragged to his buddies waiting beside the ring.

Chance looked down at the arena with disinterested eyes, watching Maurice with his peripheral vision for a hint about who he had went down to speak with. Though, Maurice wasn't stupid and he knew that the three kats he was sitting with weren't either.

No, Chance decided. Maurice would not disappear for 45 minutes then act like a challenge between drunks didn't bother him. No, there was more to it, but Maurice would not be offering the information anytime soon.

Dimitri was speaking with one of the bouncer's about who was up next. It didn't miss Chance's notice when the normally animated tom suddenly froze at what he was told.

He knew something was up when Sephira appeared with a chocolate-furred she-kat leaning on her shoulder. It didn't take much to put two and two together.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlekats!" Dimitri had moved back to the middle of the ring again. "Our next fight is slightly different from what we've seen so far tonight. We have had a challenge for a two versus one fight and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed!"

Dimitri was nervous. He didn't like how many different ways this fight could end up and all that was put to risk.

There was no sense in letting the crowd know that extended his arm out to one side as a sign to let the team into the ring.

"You've seen these two in the ring before and have given them the name The Taggers for their fighting style as a team. I give you, brother and sister, Blitz and Serenity!"

Dimitri smiled to hide his distaste of the upcoming fight as the crowd yelled their approval of the two kats entering the ring. The tom was white with short black hair with bangs that framed his face. He wore a tight dark blue t-shirt that showed a chiseled body.

His sister was a black she-kat with silver hair that was braided into a bun. She wore a light blue tank top and though her muscles were not as defined as her brother, the way she jumped over the rope to enter the ring showed she was hardly a slouch.

Demitri rolled his eyes. They were both prideful, misunderstanding idiots in his opinion.

"Our challenged is a new face to our ring tonight, but hardly one to take lightly," except she had been drinking like a fish, "All the way from The Gaichlens, I give you Tigress!"

The she-kat slowly dragged herself under the ropes and stood up unsteadily using the ropes for support. It was obvious to anyone paying attention that she had been drinking…heavily.

* * *

"That them," asked Chance.

"Aye lad, that is them," he replied.

The chocolate furred she kat, Tigress Chance recalled, had her hands and forearms wrapped in athletics tape and wore a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to her elbows over a green tank top. With the exception of black bangs that hung limply around her face, her hair, the same color of her fur, was tied back.

If she was indeed from The Gaichlens, it explained a lot. Any kats that came from that country were fighters raised in a century's long war that never turned down a challenge. They also liked their drink a little too much.

"You really think she has a chance, Maurice?" Jake asked skeptically.

"Come again, lad?"

"Allowing a fight like this is…completely out of character for you," Jake replied. "You wouldn't have let it happen, not unless you knew she had a chance to win.

Maurice was silent for a few moments, watching his son and Murdoch discuss the rules of the fight.

"Depends on a lot of factors, but I believe she will," replied the tom.

The table went quiet.

"I don't see how," Felina said as Murdoch returned to his perch on a corner post and Demitri back to his microphone.

* * *

Turning on his microphone, the Irish-descent tom spoke into it.

"The terms of the fight have been declared," Demitri said. "No weapons are allowed at any time of the fight. Even claws can result in disqualification. The fight will end in the knockout of one team or the call of surrender. The contestants have declared the winnings to be a private matter that will be dealt with at the end of the fight."

Demitri backed out of the center of the ring and jumped on a post opposite of the one Murdoch was expertly standing on.

Taking that as their cue, the three kats in the ring took up fighting positions and waited for the bell. The lonely she-kat rather did so unsteadily as she pushed herself away from the ropes, Dimitri couldn't help but pity the sight before him. She had indeed been a great fighter at one time, but now it seemed the years banished to a war-torn land had broken her.

He had yet to hear what had happened before and after she disappeared. Only his father knew and it wasn't his place to tell anyone she didn't want knowing. Seeing this, it was probably better that way.

* * *

The crowd went silent and everything seemed to slow down as they waited for the signal to start.

Like the snapping of a tree struck by lightning, the bell sounded and Tigress was across the ring before the sound faded.

She delivered a blow to Blitz's sternum with the base of her palm followed by a kick to Serenity's stomach.

"Holy shit," said Jake, standing up with Felina and Chance at the speed Tigress had used to push the two back.

"Where did that come from," queried Chance only to find himself disappointed with what followed.

The siblings recovered quickly and when Tigress had made to throw a second punch it had been sloppy and easily deflected by Blitz as Serenity took the brown she-kat's legs from under her.

Tigress fell on her back and quickly rolled out of the way of Blitz's white fist intent on smashing her nose in.

As she rolled onto her feet she came face to face with Serenity who was ready with a strike to her stomach.

Serenity smirked as Tigress doubled over and grabbed the black she-kats forearm, attempting to regain her breathe.

"It won't be long now," said Felina crossing her arms.

"Yea, too bad," Chance agreed. His eyes flicked towards Maurice who was watching the fight intensely, not giving any indication of what he was thinking.

Serenity shoved Tigress off her arm towards her brother who delivered a kick to her side and threw her against the ropes.

The crowd by now was either cheering because their winnings were in sight or in uproar because their choice was on the losing end.

Blitz taunted the she-kat who threw another punch but missed as he followed with an uppercut. Though she blocked the punch, it succeeded in making Tigress step away from him into a second uppercut by Serenity that threw her back a few more steps.

The she-kat at sibling's mercy seemed too prideful to call surrender and it appeared the pair were unwilling to deliver a knock out to end the fight.

"They are going to kill her, Maurice," Chance said.

"That is a possibility," replied the tom.

The three looked at the owner and back down at the ring as they sat back down, not wanting to watch yet unable to turn away.

"And you're going to let them," Felina snarled.

Blitz had come up behind Tigress after another uppercut by Serenity and swiftly moved his arms under her own to stop her fall to the mat and placed her in a head lock, forcing her to stand and take the punches Serenity was delivering.

The audience became a mix of excitement and distaste as the beating continued and blood spattered onto the mat.

Maurice looked down, watching his daughter and son.

Demitri watched in worry, unable to do much but wait for a line to be crossed. The tom looked up, meeting his father's eyes for a second before turning back at the ring, showing Maurice the same inner war he was fighting within himself.

Sephira was chewing on one of her claws and flinched with each blow delivered.

They and many others in the audience knew the truth behind the challenge that had been issued and why it was important that this fight continue. But only he knew the truth behind the lie that led to this.

He watched as Serenity's fist met with Tigress' side another time and a rib finally gave out under the assault. Blood flew from the beaten she-kat's mouth in a silent cry as her breath was knocked from her. She then she looked up and caught his eye.

Maurice took a deep breath as he closed his eyes to break contact with her own pleading to be released.

He smirked, knowing what he had to do.

"Maurice," he heard Felina ask, "Stop this."

"I intend to lass."

He opened his eyes and leaned over the railing, his voice was clear over the shouting of the crowd below.

"Alright lass, humiliate their asses!"

Then, for yet another time that night, those present were caught unaware.

* * *

Dimitri felt his eyes grow wide as he heard his father then watched as what he had assumed was a broken she-kat turned out to be caged and all too ready to be unleashed.

The she-kat lifted her feet off the ground and lashing out, caught Serenity square in the chest.

A primal yell came from her next as she brought her feet back to the ground and slammed them on Blitz's toes surprising him enough to push the tom back a few steps.

This placed him off balance enough for her to move and contract her muscles and throw him over her shoulder.

Now released she stood up looking more stable than before as Serenity ran at her with fists ready.

Demitiri watched with renewed interest and from the corner of his eye he saw Felina quickly stand up once more next to Maurice, caught up in the sudden change of pace. Both Jake and Chance soon followed to get a better look at the she-kat who could barely stand only minutes ago.

Not that Demetri could blame them, even those who had little interest in the fight prior were trying to see what was happening.

Tigress stepped to one side dodging the first fist and blocked the second with her forearm.

Pushing the blocked fist to the side, Tigress grabbed Serenity at the elbow and threw the black she-kat over her shoulder into the ropes.

Spinning on her feet she avoided another punch from Blitz and tripped him.

The tom caught himself and rolled to his feet only to receive a harsh kick to the jaw that snapped his head back. Tigress's foot came back and her heel connected with the back of his neck, throwing his face onto the mat.

Demitri silently groaned. He hoped she did not just break his neck.

He and many other kats winced as the Serenity slammed into the brown she-kat only to be tripped. The two fell onto the mat, Tigress forcefully landing on top and quickly rolling off Serenity in time to see Blitz standing above her.

He brought his fist down to meet her nose and suddenly her head was gone and the ground no longer beneath him as Tigress slammed into his legs and he hit the mat next to his sister.

* * *

Felina stood next to Maurice watching as the she-kat, jumped on the big tom and delivered a strong punch to his jaw. Tigress twisted her body in time to avoid a strike from Serenity before turning back and delivering another punch to the brother.

Her move was subtle and quick, easy to miss to the untrained eye, as the brown she-kat's fingers suddenly pressed on his neck and his chest.

Felina saw it, recognizing it from the advanced combatives training classes she had taken.

"She just paralyzed him," said Jake also catching the move.

Serenity lunged at Tigress, successfully able to throw her off the now immobile tom and pinning her.

Deaf to the cheering around them, the two tussled there for a moment as they each tried to gain the upper hand.

Tigress won out as she reversed the pin and laid Serenity out next to her brother who could only watch with fearful eyes.

Her hand took hold of the black throat and squeezed, eliciting a gasping choke as the opponent tried to breathe and pull the hand away to no avail.

* * *

Chance watched the turn of events with interest and surprise. The fight came to a momentary stand still as the brown she-kat lean forward and whispered something to her opponents.

Their was a collective gasp and hush from the audience as Tigress let go of Serenity's throat, allowing her to breathe again, and stood up and backed away. She spat blood onto the mat.

"I surrender," she said, her words carrying over the silence.

"WHAT?"

Chance, Jake and Felina words were lost in the uproar that resulted. They watched as Tigress stumbled and grabbed a rope to steady herself before dropping to her knees and exiting the ring.

Dimitri and Murdoch were quickly at the side of the two kats left behind to remove them from of the ring.

Chance then looked over in time to see Sephira escort the winning, or rather losing, she-kat away. He noted her unsteady walk had returned and she was leaning heavily on the hostess for support.

"What the fuck just happened," asked Felina, obviously stunned.

Maurice chuckled and sat back down at the table, motioning for them to join him.

They did so. Not quite sure what to say.

Chance replayed the whole fight in his mind trying to make sense of what they just witnessed and found himself curious about the she-kat and her actions.

"Did you know that would happen," Felina asked the tom.

Maurice shrugged.

"I thought it to be a possibility, lass."

"But why? Why would she give up the fight that she had so clearly won? That isn't like anything I have ever seen from someone out of The Gaichlens," Chance said. "Or anywhere else for that matter."

Hell, never had he participated in a fight and not finish it. Never would he throw it to an opponent.

Granted, most the fights he had been in lately weren't the ones you could risk losing.

Jake was the one who answered, a testimony to the quick mind he possessed.

"Humiliation. They threatened her, wanted to prove something, so she gave them what they wanted and proved a point while at it."

Maurice nodded.

"Exactly. The fact that she did it drunk only added salt to the wound."

Chance's ears perked up.

"So she planned this?"

Maurice chuckled, "I doubt it, but she probably expected it to happen sooner or later. Her time as a body for hire up north has made her some enemies and no doubt she expected something to happen. After tonight, I suspect she won't have any more problems."

Felina leaned forward with clasped hands.

"Is she normally like that?"

"Like what lass?"

"Drunk."

Maurice nodded in understanding.

"Lass, only she can answer that truthfully."

"I want to talk with her."

"I don' t'ink she'll be up for talking at the moment, not after that beating she took. At least for a day or so with her ribs."

Felina sighed and pulled out a card.

"I will probably regret this, but she's the best I've see all night and the fact she seems to have the background makes it all the better for us. If she is interested in the job, give this to her and tell her to present it to the front desk at Enforcer Headquarters, Friday, no later than six p.m. She will be interviewed by my uncle and if he likes what he hears…well, I am not at the liberty to discuss what comes after. You have my number if she will talk with me beforehand."

The older tom took the card and placed it in his shirt pocket.

"I will do just that," he said. "Now what do you plan to do the rest of the evening?"

Felina chuckled, "The night is still young and the fights ain't over yet, you're stuck with me for the rest of the night."

"And you lads?"

Chance looked at Jake and shrugged.

"Hard to say, would like to stay and watch, but we probably should make tracks."

Jake nodded, "Yea, the last shift of enforcers would have gotten off about an hour ago. Won't be long before they start trickling in and we really don't want to cause a ruckus like last time."

"It's not fair," Felina said, "They shouldn't give you a hard time over something in the past."

Chance finished his beer.

"Yea, well, it's their loss. Besides, I think Maurice would rather have most of his tables left intact by night's end."

The joke earned a few smiles, but the reality killed the humor.

Jake stood up, having finished his drink shortly after the fight and Chance followed.

"Thanks for the seats to watch the fights Maurice, and the drink from the earlier. We'll stop by again, when we can."

"You do that, lads. We enjoy not only your business but your conversation. Send my regards to your father, Chance."

"I'll do that. Take care."

The two toms quickly made their way down to the main floor and exited the club.

"Well Jake, I would say it was a rather successful evening. You?"

The smaller tom nodded, "Yea, unpredictable if anything."

The two walked down the street of clubs towards the parking garage where their truck was waiting in amiable silence.

It didn't last though as they left the crowded streets and entered the garage where their truck was parked.

"Hey, guys, look who it is!"

"Shit," Jake swore knowing their luck had just turned.

"Furlong! Clawson! Didn't we tell you two you aren't welcome down here?"

Chance growled and turned to face a grey and white tom standing next to four other toms they remembered from their time as Enforcers. They were all apart of the helicopter squadron.

"You know how it goes Ryan. Wanted to see if you and your pals were around to hand your furry asses to you. Again."

Jake snorted in humor as the grey tom clenched his fists.

"Good thing we were in the neighborhood then," said a red furred tom from behind Ryan.

The group of five advanced on them.

"You know, the best part is no one out of The Crossing will be able to help you this time," Ryan said.

"Two and against five, Ryan, might want to rethink this since I'm pretty sure the odds are in our favor," Jake said as he and Chance took firm stances.

"I'm sure," Ryan said taking the first punch at Chance.

Expecting the move, Chance easily deflected the fist and retaliated with his own. Needless to say, he knocked the tom right on his tail.

Two of the other toms had jumped at Jake during this, and were surprised to find themselves thrown into a nearby wall. Jake landed in a flawless crouch from the jump kicks and smirked.

The smirk only grew as a fourth tom flew over his head with a yell and landed on top of the other two.

Chance and Jake looked at the fifth tom, who raised his paws in a placating gesture.

"Don't mind me, I'm just here to clean up," he said nervously as his friends moved on the ground unsteadily.

Chance grunted before turning and stalking the rest of the way to their truck. Jake stood up and nodded to the one smart tom in the bunch before quickly going after Chance.

Reaching the tow truck they both jumped in and pulled out before any more trouble could ensue.

"Well, that was kind of fun," Chance said after a few minutes.

Jake sighed, "Yea, it was. Not much of a challenge though. They've been lacking on their combatives training."

Silence reigned until Chance took a familiar turn.

"Chance, two things."

"What's that sureshot?"

"No more going to The Crossing on weekends and would you please stop using your freakin' short cuts!"

Chance's laughter drifted into the night, mingling with Jake's complaining about the inevitable potholes.


End file.
